The Story Behind Iron Man 2's Transparent Phone

From smartphones to tablets, Wi-Fi to 3G/4G: I cover telecom & mobile.

The film Iron Man 2 is packed with gadgets, but billionaire inventor Tony Stark's slim, transparent cellphone is easily one of the most eye-catching. Throughout the movie, the device morphs according to situation and function, enabling Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) to control his TV, lock his home and--in a pivotal courtroom scene--project data onto a monitor. (Video available here.) Think of it as the smartphone of the future.

In reality, the phone was, of course, not a phone at all, but a slab of glass surrounded by a plastic frame. Russell Bobbitt, the film's property master, created the frame using a 3D printer. The glass was left blank save for two small logos: one for Stark Enterprises, the Stark family's fictional conglomerate, and one for film sponsor LG Electronics. The graphics that flit across the phone's screen in the movie were added in post-production by New York-based motion graphics firm Perception.

This do-it-yourself approach contrasted with the first Iron Man film in which Stark used a real LG phone, the swivel-screen VX9400. (LG sponsored that movie, as well.) "That device was the phone of the season and hot enough to use [in the first film]," notes Bobbitt. This time around, however, the Iron Man crew realized they needed to take Stark's phone "a step further," says Bobbitt. "If it was a piece of glass, then it would be able to do everything we wanted it to," he explains.

The sleek, final design looked cool, but had a tendency to break. Bobbitt estimates he made a dozen copies for the 79-day shoot.

At LG's request, Bobbitt also built several Bluetooth headsets for Iron Man 2. He admits the assignment was a challenge. "Actors are sensitive about their appearance," says Bobbitt. "I knew I had to make these headsets sexy and cool." In the end, Mickey Rourke's character, Whiplash, wore a black triangular design lit by a bright blue light. Since the headset wasn't a live Bluetooth device, Bobbitt used a bobby pin to access and activate the light.

The famous Iron Man armored suits are Bobbitt creations, too. To get the "RT" (repulsor technology) that powers the suits to glow, Bobbitt turned to side-mounted LEDs (light-emitting diodes). The suits themselves are a mix of resin and metal built on top of an aluminum understructure.

Since opening May 7, Iron Man 2 has raked in more than $133 million. The strong sales should benefit Viacom-owned Paramount Pictures, which distributed the film, and Walt Disney, which owns the Iron Man character through its recent acquisition of Marvel Entertainment.

Bobbitt, who is based in Los Angeles, also handled props for the recent remake of Star Trek, The Hangover and the upcoming Thor.